Welcome to my mundane life! I say mundane because I, like you, have been self-isolating for the past few weeks and it’s all starting to feel like one VERY LONG DAY. 🙃 I’ve been asked to give an account of what it looks like for some of us PUC staff members who are working remotely, so here you go! I can feel your excitement through the computer.
My name is Dana Negro. I was a PR/Journalism major at PUC … a while ago. Now I work in the marketing and communication office as the communications specialist. I spend most of my days in headphones listening to music while I write so that part of life hasn’t changed but the lack of people nearby and the addition of copious amounts of conference calls has definitely started to get a little old. My job duties are filled with very exciting things like writing, editing, and scheduling blog posts. I deal with a lot of the college’s general marketing. I also manage all PUC’s main social media accounts so at any given time throughout the day (especially when I have writer’s block or I’m bored) I reply to DMs, leave comments, and try to figure out how Instagram Stories work.
Even though I’m working from home I still get up fairly early, or at least my alarm goes off fairly early every day. I have a 7 a.m. “wake-up” and then I do what every millennial does: I lay there and scroll through social media until the very last possible moment. Every article about working from home suggests getting dressed for work, as usual, saying it helps you get into “work-mode” and while I do shower, there’s no way you’re getting me in anything but loungewear. And since this isn’t a vlog, you don’t need to know if I’m wearing makeup or not.
On a typical day, I arrive at the office around 8 a.m. after at least one very large cup of coffee and multiple moments of distraction by my dog Stellaluna. This is what I’m used to coming to work and seeing lots of natural light, lots of open workspace, and many photos and knickknacks strategically placed to provide optimal lack of unmotivated moments.
My view is a little different these days, management is really breathing down my neck.
So as not to bore you, I’ll just give you a brief breakdown of my new normal working day in outline form. Aren’t you glad you chose to read this?
8 a.m. — Sign into Slack (which my office is using to stay connected), check emails, check all PUC social media account notifications.
9 a.m. — Slack staff meeting.
BREAK!— It’s time for a Twitter break. Usually, I take a quick morning break to check in with the latest baseball news but right now … show me those dog pics!
10 a.m. — Zoom conference call with Napa County Public Health for updates on how the county is handling the pandemic. This is where I have definitely learned the importance of conference call etiquette. Mute your mics and silence your phones people!
11 a.m. — This is around the time when I can expect a text from my student intern Ally Romanes, who has decided her cure for boredom and anxiety is to be an even more phenomenal employee (yes, she’s definitely reading this, and yes, it’s still true). She’ll update me on her progress on various projects and we discuss what things I might need from her over the next few days. Then I’ll probably send her multiple photos of my dog and links to at least three items I want to purchase and she’ll tell me not to buy yet another jacket but to get the really frivolous shoes.
BREAK! — Time to check in with my two best friends. One who works at a grade school and is figuring out how to best educate a group of K-4th graders remotely and the other who is a nurse at the hospital in St. Helena and assures me he’s being safe!
1 p.m. — Slack ViewPoint meeting. For those of you who don’t know what ViewPoint is, it’s PUC’s magazine sent out twice a year to a large group of people, mainly consisting of alumni. I’m the managing editor so it’s my job to make sure everything is organized, deadlines are made, everything is edited, etc. The closer to a print date we get, the more often the team meets. This issue is SO close!
2-4 p.m. — Dramatic afternoon meltdown. Time no longer exists. Who even knows how long I’ve been editing blog posts … Also, I will likely realize I never stopped for lunch and probably eat an entire pack of Ritz Crackers.
BREAK!— Every 15 minutes my dog will come into the room to observe me but towards the end of the workday she’ll have had enough work and will coerce me into taking a break in the backyard.
5 p.m. — IT’S TIME TO STOP WORKING!
After work, I usually take my dog out into the Back 40 or around the neighborhood. Now she has to settle for unattended backyard time where she inevitably picks a fight with a squirrel and has to be brought inside. 🙄 I usually spend the rest of the evening alternating between reading (I’m on my sixth book of the shelter-in-place order) and binge-watching something; right now it’s Brooklyn 99. Tonight though, I’ve decided to be hip and Netflix Party the first six episodes of Schitt’s Creek with my college roommate.
OK, that’s it. That’s a typical day in the life of a PUC staff member working remotely. I’m off to bed so I can do this all over again tomorrow!
